An Invitation to Apply: Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University ECU Physicians: Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) THE SEARCH ECU Physicians, the multispecialty group practice of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (ECU) seeks applications and nominations for the recently created position of Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO). ECU Physicians has more than 350 physician faculty members and over 500,000 patient visits per year. Not surprisingly, this complex organization faces increasing challenges for its robust clinical information system. ECU Physicians, in partnership with Vidant Health uses the Epic applications known locally as HealthSpan to manage the clinical information and communications infrastructure that supports all aspects of revenue cycle and ambulatory electronic medical records of most of the practice. HealthSpan is replacing Centricity as the EMR for all clinical sites; this conversion is expected to be complete in early 2013. Through his/her clinical and technological expertise, the CMIO will assure that clinical information and communication systems enhance physician practice and provide desired information related to operations management and regulatory compliance. He/she will help assure a successful conversion to HealthSpan. The CMIO will work with other leaders in ECU Physicians and the School, department chairs and administrators, and end users of HealthSpan. This person will also be a leader in preparation and conversion to the ICD-10 billing and coding system, federal meaningful use incentive programs, quality improvement reporting, and similar initiatives. This person will be a key liaison with the clinical information services leadership at Vidant Health and ECU s Chief Information Officer. The CMIO will report to the Medical Director of ECU Physicians. The Chief Medical Informatics Officer will be responsible for supporting the development, adoption and use of clinical information systems that assist clinicians in the delivery of patient care. He/she will represent the provider community and serve as an advocate in promoting the use of information technology in the clinical setting, working with information technology professionals to translate clinical requirements into specifications for new systems to support the clinical enterprise and its interface with education and research. The CMIO will have clinical responsibilities, as assigned by the relevant department chair. The split of time between clinical informatics and the relevant -1-
clinical department will be determined in discussion with the successful candidate and the department chair. SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES 1. Leading and facilitating clinician advisory groups in the design of clinical systems to support excellence in patient care and research. Engaging health professions personnel of all disciplines to contribute to the development and use of the clinical information system. Developing understanding of clinical staff needs and building relationships with providers to gain support of initiatives using IT resources. Is highly responsive to user needs, including training, to assure wide spread acceptance and provider use of the clinical systems. 2. Reviewing medical informatics trends, experiences and approaches, develops technical and application implementation strategies and assists in the development of strategic plans for clinical information systems. 3. Collaborating with HIPAA Privacy and HIPAA Security leaders to ensure and foster an environment in which clinical information systems comply with the federal HIPAA Security regulations. 4. Working in concert with Health Information Systems/Services, ECU Information Technology Computing Services (ITCS), UHS Information Systems, and others outside of the School to design and implement systems supporting ECU Physicians. Leading the efforts to produce clinically and administratively relevant data and reports from the clinical IT systems to meet quality improvement needs, improve clinic management, and respond to external data requests 5. Working with ITCS to ensure appropriate information security controls are incorporated into the design and implementation of systems supporting patient care. 6. Providing resource assistance to patient care providers in implementing and maintaining appropriate information security controls. 7. Providing oversight for the review of medical device and medical software vendors used by ECU Physicians is integrated into devices and applications prior to purchase, in collaboration with others. This may involve working with technology contracts to ensure appropriate security and audit controls are integrated into the contract. 8. Leading the review of clinical workflows with physician, nursing and administrative leadership to gain maximum efficacy and support for health information technology. 9. Leading the review of clinical "rules" supporting patient care and protocol research, as well as the design of clinical system features supporting protocol management and quality initiatives. 10. Maintaining an active clinical practice in the ambulatory setting. 11. Involvement in the education of health care providers and learners in clinical informatics and information technology. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 1. Licensed physician with recent medical practice experience. 2. Successful completion of a formal fellowship or graduate school curriculum in health information management or informatics along (in addition to an MD or DO degree) with relevant medical informatics experience would be a plus. -2-
3. Strong familiarity with all relevant clinical informatics regulatory requirements and best practices is highly desired. 4. Experience in an academic medical center setting or equivalent experience in a large-scale patient care setting is highly desired. 5. Ability to obtain a full, unrestricted license to practice medicine from the North Carolina Medical Board. 6. Certified (or eligible for certification) by a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. SPECIAL SKILLS 1. Excellent interpersonal skills and can work effectively with a diversity of personalities. Must be approachable, show respect for others, and be able to present data with effective written and verbal skills. Must be an effective consensus builder. 2. Good grasp of clinical work flow in outpatient settings (with an understanding of inpatient work), an interest in clinical information systems and in outcomes measurement. 3. Demonstrated ability to develop flexible, transferable models for pathways of care. 4. Strong leader with a mature sense of priorities and solid practical experience who can design and implement systems within the framework of technical boundaries. Has demonstrated expertise in leveraging ideas and resources to deliver solutions to meet institutional goals and customer needs. 5. Politically savvy with a high tolerance for ambiguity and an ability to work successfully in a complex management model. 6. Systems-oriented thinker with strong organizational skills who can manage lengthy, complex and demanding projects on time and within budget. 7. Strong manager who is adaptable and has strong collaborative management style, a creative thinker with high energy and enthusiasm, and a team player who promotes the concepts of people working together versus individual performance. 8. Contemporary clinician who understands major trends in healthcare and managed care, with familiarity with medical informatics trends and tools. 9. Demonstrated understanding of the challenges and pressures encountered in the ambulatory clinic setting. -3-
TO APPLY: The executive search firm The Hollander Group has been selected to assist the search committee in its efforts for this recruitment. Review of candidates will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Applications - comprising cover letter, curriculum vitae and list of professional references with contact information - must be made online in strict confidence via the University s PeopleAdmin system using the Jobs link near the bottom of the University s home page (www.ecu.edu), then type ECU Physicians as the keyword and select the Chief Medical Informatics Officer position (#001522). Note that no references will be contacted without the permission of the candidate. Requests for additional information and nominations for the position should be directed to: Clifford R. Hollander, PhD or Sharon M. Flynn Hollander info@thehollandergroup.net Phone: 202-486-9097 http://www.thehollandergroup.net East Carolina University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and encourages a diverse pool of candidates for this search. East Carolina University Tomorrow Starts Here. ABOUT ECU PHYSICIANS 1 ECU Physicians is the multi-specialty group practice of the Brody School of Medicine. In addition to providing ambulatory care for over 140,000 patients per year in approximately 500,000 encounters, this complex clinical services operation serves a vital educational function for medical students, resident physicians and clinical fellows. There are currently over 365 credentialed physicians, 75 advanced practice professionals and 350 resident physicians and fellows. In-patient care is provided primarily at Vidant Medical Center (formerly Pitt County Memorial Hospital), where ECU Physicians provides over 110,000 patient days. As the largest practice east of the Triangle region, ECU Physicians has significant geographic spread of services across a 29-county service area and population of over 1.4 million people. The clinical services provide essential patient care for the population of Greenville and Pitt County. In so doing, the school fulfills part of its core mission, as established by the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina, to increase access to healthcare services. The clinical services are directly provided by the faculty and staff of the twelve clinical departments, with support and oversight from the school's central administration. ECU Physicians operates approximately 25 separate clinic sites, in addition to joint ventures with Vidant Medical Center for the East Carolina Endoscopy Center and the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center. ABOUT CLINICAL INFORMATICS Clinical informatics transforms health care by analyzing, designing, implementing, and evaluating information and communication systems that enhance individual and population health outcomes, 1 For more information about ECU Physicians see http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/ecuphysicians/ -4-
improve patient care, and strengthen the clinician-patient relationship. Clinical informatics specialists use their knowledge of patient care combined with their understanding of informatics concepts, methods, and tools to: Assess information and knowledge needs of health care professionals and patients; Characterize, evaluate, and refine clinical processes; Assist in training end users individually or in groups; Develop, implement, and refine clinical decision support systems; and Assist in leading the procurement, customization, development, implementation, management, evaluation, and continuous improvement of clinical information systems; and Assure compliance with regulatory policies related to necessary documentation for billing and other tasks. Physicians involved with clinical informatics collaborate with other health care and information technology professionals to promote patient care that is safe, efficient, effective, timely, patientcentered, and equitable. Clinical informatics encompasses three spheres of activity: clinical care; the health system; and information and communications technology. ABOUT THE BRODY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 2 In the early 1960s, a group of leaders from eastern North Carolina proposed that a medical school be established at what was then East Carolina College. In time, East Carolina University was authorized to establish a health affairs division as a foundation for a medical program, and then a one-year medical school whose participants completed their medical education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Finally in 1974, the General Assembly of North Carolina appropriated the funds to establish a four-year medical school at East Carolina University. The legislature set forth a three-fold mission for the ECU School of Medicine: (1) to increase the supply of primary care physicians to serve the state, (2) to improve health status of citizens in eastern North Carolina, and (3) to enhance the access of minority and disadvantaged students to a medical education. Today the Brody School of Medicine admits 78 students to each entering class. The relatively small class size, diverse curriculum and dedicated faculty contribute to a learning experience intended to produce physicians who are both competent and caring. The School offers nine residency programs for the specialized training of graduate physicians: family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, pathology and laboratory medicine, psychiatric medicine, surgery, and physical medicine and rehabilitation. Combined programs are offered in internal medicine and pediatrics and in internal medicine and psychiatry. The hallmark of these programs is their emphasis on close, collegial relationships among faculty and residents in a challenging and diverse clinical environment. Subspecialty programs in various disciplines bring the total number of GME programs to nearly 30. The School also supports programs leading to the doctor of philosophy degree in six disciplines -- anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry, microbiology and immunology, pathology, pharmacology, and physiology. The Ph.D. programs are intended to foster scholarship, critical analysis and 2 For more information about the Brody School of Medicine see http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/med/abthistory.cfm.. -5-
creative research, and graduates compete successfully for top post-doctoral positions throughout the country. The Masters in Public Health program graduates several dozen community practice oriented professionals each year. ECU medical school faculty and fellows have exceptional strengths in many vital areas of basic and clinical research. In keeping with the school's mission of service, many research programs focus on issues of special significance to eastern North Carolina. Major multidisciplinary efforts are under way in diabetes and obesity, cancer therapy and cardiovascular disease. Expertise in such areas as biostatistics, informatics, epidemiology, computer programming and telecommunications is readily available. ABOUT EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY ECU 3, a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina (UNC), is the fastest growing university in the nationally renowned UNC system. Enrollment currently stands at 27,386 students in Fall 2011 and is expected to grow considerably over the next 10 years. A doctoral intensive university, ECU s 12 colleges and schools, with their 2,008 faculty members, offer 102 bachelor s degree programs, 106 graduate degree programs including 16 doctoral programs, 4 first professional degree programs (AuD, DMD, DPT, MD), 76 master s degree programs, and 8 post-master s certificate options. Also, ECU leads the UNC system in Distance Education (DE) offerings. East Carolina University is located in Greenville, NC, a city of 85,000, close to the NC beaches and Outer Banks. The quality of life in eastern NC is exceptional and waterfront housing is available within 30 minutes of the University. We are a large, public University with a small college atmosphere. 3 More information about ECU see http:///www.ecu.edu/ -6-